Build a Knowledge Base
There are lots of books written about voice-overs, and while none of them can replace face-to-face training or practical hands-on experience, many of the authors have a lot of interesting things to say about the voice-over business. In particular, Harlan Hogan’s book, VO, is great for its fascinating anecdotes. For character work, Pamela Lewis’ Talking Funny for Money is a good choice. Another good one is Making Money In Voice-Overs by Terri Apple.

Keep A Notebook
Jot down the day and time that you practiced and what you read. Make notes about how your voice sounded (e.g. rough, dry, wet, lower pitch, higher pitch). Also, if you’re interested in character work, a notebook is invaluable. When you come up with a new voice (or vocal attitude), give it a name and a back-story, and put it in your book. Turning these voices into real characters aids in your recall of them when you need them later. Referring to “Gizmo the Sprightly Elf” is easier than “that high-pitched squeak where I talk through my nose with a lisp.”

In Chapter 5, we’ll talk about Interpreting And Understanding Copy.

Voice Exercises
The best exercise is to practice, practice and practice. In the car, the shower, wherever. Start with your regular, everyday speaking voice and read out loud. Use the newspaper, magazines, your kid’s bedtime stories or your company memos. Just read out loud to build and strengthen your natural speaking voice.

Listening
Record your voice and listen to the playback. Be honest with yourself. When you’re having trouble, admit it, work to fix it and move on. When you’re good, admit it and move on. Learn from the good and the bad, and over time the bad will go away.

Observation
Listen to other voice-overs. On the TV, the radio, in movies, on DVD’s, answering machines, automated help lines, etc. Which ones are good and which ones are bad, and why? Learn from the good ones and forget the bad ones. Observation is key. Listen to the voices around you. People you meet, talk to on the phone, or hear on TV can all be an inspiration for your own vocal styles. Even if you can’t imitate the sound of someone else’s voice, mimicking their attitude may give you some useful material. Listen to the range of voices in just one commercial break.

Writing
Good voice-over actors are often good copywriters. Start writing your own copy. Learn how to be clear and concise. The art of creating an effective message within a 30 or 60-second time frame, will help sharpen your speaking skills.

In Chapter 4, we’ll talk about 2 More Things You Can Do Right Away to get started and keep going in your own voice over business.

Stew Crossen, owner… Voice Over Workshop

Get Training and Coaching.
You will need training and coaching to learn how to use your voice. Even if you’re blessed with a silky smooth set of pipes, you’ll need to learn how to use your voice and how to deliver as wide a range of vocal styles as possible. Can you be serious? Whimsical? Can you do accents or dialects? Character voices? Can you raise your performance to another level? The more versatile you are, the more jobs you’ll get. Your voice is your instrument and coaching will help you learn to play your instrument.

The best way to get training is with voice-over and acting professionals by taking classes, workshops, and private coaching sessions. Learning really never stops for a true voice-over artist. Take specific workshops on character voices, audio book, narration and even acting classes. Attend various workshops whenever you can. The more you learn, the better you’ll be.

Practice, Practice, Practice.
The next thing you absolutely need is practice, practice and more practice. Read out loud every day to strengthen your voice and sharpen your reading skills. Magazines and newspapers are a good start. You can even read road signs while you’re driving!

*Tip: Get an inexpensive recording device (micro cassette recorder or USB microphone that plugs into your PC), so you can record yourself and play it back. You need to listen and analyze what you do well and what you need to work on. A recorder will also come in handy if you’re working on character voices. You’d hate to come up with something brilliant and then lose it forever because you can’t remember what the character sounded like! Record those voices and give them names.

Be Highly Organized
Organizational skills are important, as anyone who has worked in an office will attest. A voice-over business is just that: a business and you need to treat it as such. Prepare some space to use as your office. Make sure you have a phone number where you can be reached (or at least respond to messages) quickly. A computer is a must for online marketing and job hunting, as well as for for tracking income and expenses.

Think about Legal and Tax Considerations
For legal and tax reporting purposes you may consider a DBA, a sole proprietorship, an LLC or become incorporated. At the very least, and if you’re using a name other than your own, you may consider registering in the town where you live. The fee is generally small, and you may learn about some useful small business resources in the process.

*Tip: Always consult an attorney and a qualified tax accountant before making any decisions regarding this.

A Great Demo Reel
We’re going to talk about this later in more detail, so we’ll just say this: your demo reel is a professionally produced recording, usually on CD or mp3, that offer samples of your best work. It’s your calling card, your voice-over resume and one of the most critical tools for voice-over success. Don’t cut corners on producing and recording your demo.

In Chapter 3, we’ll talk about 4 things you can do right away to get started and keep going in your very own voice over business.

Stew Crossen, owner… Voice Over Workshop

The term comes from the world of film, when a narration was referred to in the script as “Voice Over Picture”, or VO for short. Now, voice-over can refer to any number of ways you can use your voice to get a message across.

You’ve heard about commercials, corporate narration and animation, but how about automated phone messaging,
Automated Dialogue Replacement (also called “looping”), or reading for the blind? That automated message that calls you in the middle of dinner to say, “Hi, this is your credit card company calling with exciting news about your account.” Someone was paid to read that. It could be you.

Voice-overs are a dynamic and flexible industry. You don’t need a license or anyone’s permission to do it. You can do it full time, or you can get started by auditioning and working in your spare time. Either way, you’ll need dedication, creativity and an entrepreneurial spirit to succeed.

You’ll also need to learn to handle rejection. There are a lot of people in this business and you’ll hear a good number of “No’s” (or no answer at all) before you get that first job. You need a thick skin. Don’t take the “No’s” personally. Learn from it and move on to the next audition. With that said, there’s always room for new talent, no matter your age, sex or “voice type”.

It used to be that voice-overs was dominated by the big, booming “Voice of God” announcer style male voice, but the industry has changed. While men still have a slight edge on women in the industry, more and more women are taking on roles that have traditionally been for a “guy’s voice”. The split is estimated to be about 60-40 today. There’s also a push away from those big announcer style voices. Producers today want a more natural, conversational delivery, like a trusted friend or the girl next door. What this means is, even if you don’t have a resonant “radio voice”, there’s a place for you in the industry.

Voice-over is a who you know and who knows you, not a what you know industry. Many jobs go to the voice actor who knows the producer or who is a customer of the client company. Often, getting one job creates opportunities for more jobs. It may seem unfair, but producers and clients like to work with people they know, people whom they already know will do a good job. There’s a way around this barrier, and we’ll talk about it later, but for know here’s a hint: voice-overs are about making contacts.

Voice-over is a very competitive business and there are more voice actors than there are jobs. Home recording and the wonders of the Internet have increased competition as well. On one hand, inexpensive recording equipment and online casting allow you to audition for jobs across the country or around the world. On the other hand, talent from across the country can audition for the same local jobs that you’d like to go for.

Speaking in broad terms, to get work as a voice actor you need three things…

1. An average sounding voice, with a wide range of styles.
2. Above average marketing.
3. A great demo reel.

In Chapter 2, we’ll talk about what you must have and do to get started in your very own voice over business.

Stew Crossen, owner… Voice Over Workshop

I have two favorite mics I use for my voice, clients and students.

First, for close work and for people with a fair amount of experience on mic… I prefer the Electro Voice RE20.

What?  That old war horse? 

You bet! For my money the Electro Voice RE20 is far and way the best sounding, most rugged, reliable and cost-effective microphone in the business.  The EV RE20 will never lie to you, or let you down.  It’s a favorite of broadcasters and engineers world-wide, and has earned its stellar reputation. The Electro Voice RE20 is also a great mic for musicians too.

Having been in radio for over 20 years, I’ve used the EV RE20 for live broadcast, main mic, guest mic, commercial production, live music, studio recording, and have never been disappointed. Many radio guests, performers and voice clients often comment on how good I “made them sound.” Thank you Electro Voice RE20!

Second, for not so close work and for people with little or no experience on mic… I prefer the Shure SM7B.

The SM7B has a flat, wide-range frequency response for exceptionally clean and natural reproduction of both music and speech.  In my opinion the Shure SM7B is more suited to the client or student who hasn’t yet learned to use the full power and range of their vocal abilities. The  Shure SM7B is also a great mic for musicians too.

Both the Electro Voice RE20 and Shure SM7B have bass roll-off, classic cardiod polar pattern and excellent shielding against electromagnetic hum generated by computer monitors, neon lights and other electrical devices.

Both mics offer a great combination of excellent sound reproduction, reliability and affordability. That’s why they are my favorite vocie over microphones!

Stew Crossen, owner… Voice Over Workshop